Breaks and time off
Collocations, Stage 3chunk 16 of 23Work & school
Stepping away from work, commonest first: missing a day, booking leave, a short break, quitting for good.
- shigoto o yasumutake time off work, miss work
- yasumi o torutake time off
- kyuukei o torutake a break
- kaisha o yameruquit one's job
Mix-ups yasumu (stay off) and yameru (quit) sound alike; yasumi o toru is days off, while a few minutes' rest is kyuukei o toru.
shigoto o yasumu
polite shigoto o yasumimasutake time off work, miss work
仕事を休む しごとをやすむ 仕事を休みます
verbyasumu 休むrest, take a break; stay away from (work, school)typical <1% of shigoto
trap yasumu sounds like 'rest', and 'off work' or 'from work' suggests kara, giving shigoto kara yasumu. Work is the object: shigoto o yasumu, like gakkou o yasumu (miss school). yasumi o toru (take time off) is also fine.
Said when you stay away from work, sick or not, for a day or longer: kyou shigoto yasumu. It's usually heard in the past (yasunda), and gakkou o yasumu works the same way.
kyou kaze de shigoto yasunda.
I took today off work with a cold.
今日風邪で仕事休んだ。
kyou wa kaze de shigoto o yasumimashita.
I took today off work with a cold.
今日は風邪で仕事を休みました。
Planned leave is yasumi o toru. 'I'm off tomorrow' is just ashita yasumi.
Same verb: gakkou (school), jugyou (class), kaisha (company), baito (part-time job)Learn alongside: yasumi o toru, kyuukei o toru
yasumi o toru
polite yasumi o torimasutake time off
休みを取る やすみをとる 休みを取ります
verbtoru 取るtake; get (here: take time away from work, booked ahead or on the spot)typical 32% of yasumi
trap 'Take a break' for a few minutes isn't yasumi o toru, which on its own means time off, or rest in general (chanto yasumi totte ne, make sure you get some rest). For a few minutes, say chotto yasumou, kyuukei shiyou or kyuukei torou.
Said about days off arranged with work, usually once they're booked: raishuu yasumi totta. The o is often dropped, and paid leave works the same way: yuukyuu totta. The everyday complaint is yasumi torenai (I can't get time off).
raishuu mikka yasumi totta n da.
I've booked three days off next week.
来週三日休み取ったんだ。
raishuu mikka yasumi o totta n desu.
I've booked three days off next week.
来週三日休みを取ったんです。
A sick day is yasumu instead: kyou kaze de yasumu.
Same verb: yuukyuu (paid leave), renkyuu (days off in a row), natsuyasumi (summer holiday), kyuukei (short break)Learn alongside: shigoto o yasumu, kyuukei o toruMain list: toru (Stage 4), -eru / -rareru (Stage 2)
kyuukei o toru
polite kyuukei o torimasutake a break
休憩を取る きゅうけいをとる 休憩を取ります
verbtoru 取るtake; set aside (time for rest)typical 8% of kyuukei
trap 'Take a break' tempts yasumi o toru, which means time off or proper rest (chanto yasumi totte ne). A few minutes' break is kyuukei: kyuukei torou.
Said about breaks at work or while studying, especially the ones you're owed: chanto kyuukei totte ne, juppun kyuukei torou. Casual speech drops o, and for calling a break on the spot kyuukei shiyou or chotto yasumou is more common.
chanto kyuukei totte ne.
Make sure you take your breaks.
ちゃんと休憩取ってね。
chanto kyuukei o totte kudasai ne.
Make sure you take your breaks.
ちゃんと休憩を取ってくださいね。
On a break right now: ima kyuukei-chuu. Going on your break at work is kyuukei ni hairu: kyuukei hairimasu.
Same verb: yasumi (time off), hiruyasumi (lunch break), suimin (sleep)Learn alongside: shigoto o yasumu, yasumi o toruMain list: toru (Stage 4), suru (Stage 1), chanto (Stage 3), -te ne (Stage 3), -ou ka / -you ka (Stage 4)
kaisha o yameru
polite kaisha o yamemasuquit one's job
会社を辞める かいしゃをやめる 会社を辞めます
verbyameru 辞めるquit, leave (a job, school or club); same sound as yameru 'stop'typical 3% of kaisha
trap 'Leave the company' suggests kaisha o deru, but that normally means walking out of the office building (going home, heading out to lunch). Leaving the job is kaisha o yameru. Likewise daigaku o deru means graduating; dropping out is yameru.
Said about leaving a job for good, mostly as yameta (I quit) or as a complaint, yametai (I want to quit). Casual speech drops o, and shigoto o yameru means the same.
kyonen kaisha yameta n da.
I quit my job last year.
去年会社辞めたんだ。
kyonen kaisha o yameta n desu.
I quit my job last year.
去年会社を辞めたんです。
Getting fired is kubi ni naru: kubi ni natta.
Same verb: shigoto (job), baito (part-time job), gakkou (school: drop out), bukatsu (school club)Main list: yameru (Stage 4), deru (Stage 1), -tai (Stage 2)